As brands and retailers strive to improve their purchasing practices, they are inadvertently creating a parallel issue by burdening suppliers with customised surveys. These surveys, far from providing new insights, are adding to the costs and complexities, leading to low-value busy work for brands and retailers alike, according to an article entitled ‘Putting the Brakes on Purchasing Practices Survey Fatigue’ by Dr. Dickson published on the Better Buying website.

The crux of the problem lies in brands’ and retailers’ belief that their purchasing practices are so unique that standardised surveys are not applicable to them. This has led to commissioning custom surveys, often ignoring critical areas known to impact suppliers and workers. Organisations like Better Buying offer specialised methods that could save time, effort, and provide more credible findings.

Customised surveys also lack benchmark data to fuel internal interest in change. While some may argue that money can be saved by using internal staff for research, the lack of experience in developing and running surveys can lead to an opportunity cost that prevents other essential work from being done.

Academic research, though more likely to be of high quality, often leads to reports with few new insights. The focus is usually on what brands must stop doing rather than actionable steps to solve the problem.

The solution proposed in the article is the adoption of a standardised survey run by an experienced research organisation on a cyclical basis. Such a survey, especially if co-created by suppliers, will give a comprehensive look at business practices that impact them. Comparative data derived from good research will motivate action, generate insights from suppliers, and provide the ability to measure improvements over time, Dr. Dickson said in the article.

Brands and retailers must also be mindful of the asks from investors and ranking organisations evaluating their purchasing practices. Often these evaluations provide no real value, allowing too little comparability, and focusing on narrow problems with limited impact on suppliers’ abilities to achieve sustainability goals.

The call is clear; the industry must acknowledge supplier survey fatigue as a significant issue. Adopting a standardised supplier survey can result in win-win value for brands, suppliers, and stakeholders. It’s time to put the brakes on supplier survey fatigue before the train comes off the tracks, ensuring a path that benefits everyone involved in the supply chain.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)